1.CBS Touts 'Exclusive' on Quest for Huge Spending Hike on Health
CBS on Wednesday night turned over a full story to promoting the cause of one interest group which wants a 12-fold hike in federal spending on health care for children. As if it were some kind of scoop to hype a report from a group yearning for media attention, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric trumpeted it as an "exclusive look tonight at a stunning report by a respected children's health care group. It says nearly 24 million children in this country do not have regular access to medical care and that's twice as many as experts believed." Reporter Sharyl Attkisson's story was completely devoted to the Children's Health Fund (CHF) study and highlighted how the co-founder of CHF, Irwin Redlener, "is on Capitol Hill lobbying for a dramatic expansion of the $5 billion federal children's health insurance program, or CHIP." Attkisson relayed his quest: "Redlener wants to add nine million more people to CHIP, plus dental and mental health benefits and transportation. The price tag for all that?" Redlener answered: "What we need is $60 billion." That would be an incredible 12 times more.

2.On Moyers' Show, Jon Stewart Frets Bush Team Outmaneuvers Media
The first regular episode of the latest incarnation of Bill Moyers Journal on PBS last Friday night featured Comedy Central host Jon Stewart (recently hailed by Moyers as "the Mark Twain of our day") mocking Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for appearing to be a "low-functioning pinhead" and comparing the Bush administration to the mobster characters in the movie Goodfellas. He suggested the White House press corps was a joke, proposing they're "the Harlem Globetrotters playing the Washington Generals" so "the government is just, you know, blowing the doors off the media."

3.GMA Promotes Liberal Redford: 'Hollywood Legend Saves the Planet'
On Wednesday's Good Morning America, weatherman Sam Champion once again touted a celebrity's support of liberal environmental policies. In a brief segment plugging actor Robert Redford's new TV series, about the environment, on his Sundance channel, the ABC host attempted to portray the activism of the famously liberal celebrity as something new. An onscreen graphic hyperbolically asserted, "Redford Goes Green: Hollywood Legend Saves the Planet" and Champion praised the actor, "But now, he's a pioneer for the environment." Redford goes green? Now, he's a pioneer for the environment? It's more than a little disingenuous for the GMA anchor to try and pass Redford's liberalism as something new.

4.Bush on 'American Idol' Sends O'Donnell and Behar Over Deep End
The brief taped appearance of the President and First Lady on Tuesday's American Idol, to thank the viewers who contributed $70 million the week before to the show's "Idol Gives Back" fundraising effort on behalf of children's health charities, enraged the ladies Wednesday on the ABC daytime show The View and led them into some unusually bizarre -- even for them -- claims. Rosie O'Donnell ridiculed Bush's charity endeavor by comparing it with money spent on Iraq ("$500 billion in Iraq, but he wants to thank America for the $70 billion," really million) and linked the appearance to how "all of the pundits who are pro-Bush are on the Fox network." But Joy Behar made O'Donnell look well-informed, by comparison, as she insisted that President Bush "has access to all the money that we pay taxes for. He is able to do whatever he wants to do with that money." When Elisabeth Hasselbeck pointed out that Congress must approve spending and it is controlled by the opposition party, Behar remained undeterred by reality: "He could do it though, he could do it."

Correction: The Late Show's May 1 "Top Ten Signs Fidel Castro Is Fully Recovered," listed in the May 2 CyberAlert, only had items #10 through #2. The missing #1: "Hasn't had a 'Cuban Missile Crisis' in some time, if you know what I mean."

CBS on Wednesday night turned over a full story to promoting the cause of one interest group which wants a 12-fold hike in federal spending on health care for children. As if it were some kind of scoop to hype a report from a group yearning for media attention, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric trumpeted it as an "exclusive look tonight at a stunning report by a respected children's health care group. It says nearly 24 million children in this country do not have regular access to medical care and that's twice as many as experts believed."

Reporter Sharyl Attkisson's story was completely devoted to the Children's Health Fund (CHF) study (not yet on its Web site as of Wednesday night) that she outlined: "It's estimated nine million children are completely uninsured, but the new study says 11.5 million more kids end up without medical care for part of the year and another three million can't get a ride to the doctor. That's over 23 million children. To close the gap," the co-founder of CHF, Irwin Redlener, "is on Capitol Hill lobbying for a dramatic expansion of the $5 billion federal children's health insurance program, or CHIP." Attkisson relayed his quest: "Redlener wants to add nine million more people to CHIP, plus dental and mental health benefits and transportation. The price tag for all that?"Redlener answered: "What we need is $60 billion." That would be an incredible 12 times more.

CHF appears to be more program oriented, and much less of a left-wing activist group than the Children's Defense Fund, but its Board of Directors includes former New York City Mayor David Dinkins as well as former NBC News reporter Fred Francis. CHF's Board of Directors: www.childrenshealthfund.org

Another ex-NBCer, Jane Pauley, chairs the Board of Advisors, which like the Board of Directors, includes no obvious conservatives but features former Democratic Senate Leader George Mitchell and liberal Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd. CHF's Board of Advisers: www.childrenshealthfund.org

A transcript of the May 2 CBS Evening News publicity for the interest group and its cause:

Katie Couric's tease: "Also tonight, a health care crisis: an exclusive look at a new report that finds more than 25 percent of our children have no regular access to medical care."

Couric introduced the subsequent story: "Now to the health of our children. We have an exclusive look tonight at a stunning report by a respected children's health care group. It says nearly 24 million children in this country do not have regular access to medical care and that's twice as many as experts believed. Here's Sharyl Attkisson."

Sharyl Attkisson, over video of a parent and child on a bus run by the Children's Health Fund: "These uninsured children of the working poor don't go to the doctor's office, it comes to them." Dr. Teri Gray Brown, Children's National Medical Center: "They make too much in order to be eligible for Medicaid, but don't make enough to provide insurance of their own." Attkisson: "150,000 patients a year nationwide get free care from 21 mobile units provided by the Children's Health Fund. But a new report out tomorrow from this non-profit group says far too many kids are falling into a huge health care crevice. Their report finds, despite billions of dollars in government spending, more than one in four children still don't have full-time health care, a gap twice as big as anyone thought." Dr. Irwin Redlener, co-founder, Children's Health Fund, inside a Capitol Hill office building: "It's more than just insurance and lack of insurance that are keeping kids from getting medical care." Attkisson: "It's estimated nine million children are completely uninsured, but the new study says 11.5 million more kids end up without medical care for part of the year and another three million can't get a ride to the doctor. That's over 23 million children. To close the gap, President of the Children's Health Fund, Irwin Redlener, is on Capitol Hill lobbying for a dramatic expansion of the $5 billion federal children's health insurance program, or CHIP. Redlener wants to add nine million more people to CHIP, plus dental and mental health benefits and transportation. The price tag for all that?" Redlener to Attkisson: "Really, what we need is $60 billion, between $50 and $60 billion." Attkisson: "Getting that type of government assistance may be a long shot, but Dr. Redlener says it's cheaper than the cost of neglecting the medical needs of a generation of children. Sharyl Attkisson, CBS News, Washington."

For the CBSNews.com online version of the story, "Study: 1 In 4 Kids Go Without Health Care; CBS News Has Learned Researchers Found Bigger Health Care Gap than Thought for Children," go to: www.cbsnews.com

The first regular episode of the latest incarnation of Bill Moyers Journal on PBS last Friday night featured Comedy Central host Jon Stewart (recently hailed by Moyers as "the Mark Twain of our day," see: newsbusters.org ) mocking Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for appearing to be a "low-functioning pinhead" and comparing the Bush administration to the mobster characters in the movie Goodfellas. He suggested the White House press corps was a joke, proposing they're "the Harlem Globetrotters playing the Washington Generals" so "the government is just, you know, blowing the doors off the media."

[This item is adapted from a posting, by Tim Graham, Wednesday night on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

First, the Daily Show fake anchor expressed amazement on the Friday night show that Gonzales would be so willing to look foolish and wildly incompetent so that Congress would fail in its attempt to impose oversight: "Yeah, it's kind of astonishing. There is I used to have a real disconnect, I think, with the administration, I couldn't figure out what was going on. I think it's suddenly become clear to me. They would rather us believe them to be wildly incompetent and inarticulate than to let us know anything about how they operate. And so, they do Constitutionally-mandated things most of the time, but they don't -- they fulfill the letter of their obligation to checks and balances, but not the intent. "For instance, Alberto Gonzales, and you've been watching the hearings. He is either a perjurer, or a low-functioning pinhead. And he allowed himself to be portrayed in those hearings as a low-functioning pinhead, rather than give the Congressional Committee charged with oversight, any information as to his decision-making process at the Department of Justice. "And I used to think, 'They're doing this based on a certain arrogance.' And now, I realize that it's because they believe there is one accountability moment for a President, and that is the four year election. And once you get that election, you're done." Bill Moyers: "They're right, are they not?" Stewart: "They're completely not right. The election moment is merely the American public saying, 'We'd rather you be President than that guy.' That's it. The next four years, though, you still have to abide by the oversight process that is there to prevent this kind of bizarre sort of cult-like atmosphere that falls along. I mean, I accept that kind of veil of secrecy around Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, but I don't accept that around our government."

There he is, Stewart the Idealist, trying to make a speech like Goldie Hawn at the end of the movie Protocol. This is one of those moments where Stewart betrayed his interest in putting his weight on the side of everything good and liberal. He likes to hit self-deprecating notes about his knowledge or the size of his audience, but his burning desire to punish Team Bush comes through, which is what makes him such an attractive guest for Moyers. A little later, he turned to the mob-movie references about the White House: "And for the President to come out after that and say, 'Everything I saw there gave me more confidence in him,' that solidified my notion that, Oh, it's because what he expected of Gonzalez was, it's sort of like, do you remember in Goodfellas? When Henry Hill [the Ray Liotta character] got arrested for the first time and Robert DeNiro met him at the courthouse and Henry Hill was really upset, 'cause he thought Robert DeNiro would be really mad at him. And DeNiro comes up to him and he gives him a $100 and he goes, "You got pinched. We all get pinched, but you did it right, you didn't say nothing." Moyers: "Gonzales said nothing." Stewart: "Right. And 'you went up there and said nothing. You gave them no legal recourse against you, and you made yourself a smart man, a self-made man look like an utter pinhead on national television, and you did it for me.'"

Stewart has been hailed as a comedic genius by many players in the liberal media elite, and yet, he echoed the Moyers talking point that the Washington press corps are a garden full of pansies:

Moyers: "How do you explain that the Washington press corps, by and large, particularly the Sunday shows join the game with them? I mean, you watch those shows." Stewart: "They don't all, I mean-" Moyers: "No, not all of them do, but there's a kind of wink-wink questioning going on there. You know, I'll ask the devil's advocate-" Stewart: "Well, it's because it's the Harlem Globetrotters playing the Washington Generals. It's they're the only teams playing, and they know they've got to play each other every week, and they all have sort of assumed their role. And, I mean, at this point, the government is just you know, blowing the doors off the media. And not everywhere, and I think, this is where you know, a lot of those blog reporters and all of those things are bringing a lot of urgency and a lot of momentum to stories that wouldn't normally carry any momentum."

Here's a moment where Stewart tried to express his utter lack of self-awareness, and bluster about his modesty, even as Moyers mentally dressed him up in a white suit and tousled Mark Twain hair: "So, has it been within that period of time that you made this you wouldn't recognize it, but we recognize it, transformation from the stand-up comic to a serious social and political critic?" Stewart: "I don't consider myself a serious and social political critic." Moyers: "But I do. And I'm your audience." Stewart: "Yes, and I end up with one of your tote bags. But the important thing is, that I guess I don't spend any time thinking about what I am or what we do means. I spend my time doing it. And, I think that's, I'm not trying to be modest of self-deprecating or in any way trying to do that."

But that moment isn't quite as phony as multi-millionaire Bill Moyers, the prince of PBS Home Video profits, making jokes about his low pay at PBS: "Well, you could take me on as a correspondent." Stewart: "We would love to take you on as a correspondent." Moyers: "Well, who would you-" Stewart: "You know, the pay is pretty bad." Moyers: "Yeah, well, this is PBS."

On Wednesday's Good Morning America, weatherman Sam Champion once again touted a celebrity's support of liberal environmental policies. In a brief segment plugging actor Robert Redford's new TV series, about the environment, on his Sundance channel, the ABC host attempted to portray the activism of the famously liberal celebrity as something new. An onscreen graphic hyperbolically asserted, "Redford Goes Green: Hollywood Legend Saves the Planet" and Champion praised the actor, "But now, he's a pioneer for the environment." Redford goes green? Now, he's a pioneer for the environment? It's more than a little disingenuous for the GMA anchor to try and pass Redford's liberalism as something new.

In 2006, for example, Redford attacked President Bush's energy policy as a "disaster" and "an insult." Check the June 14, 2006 CyberAlert: www.mediaresearch.org

In the segment, which aired at 8:51am on May 2, Champion seemed to indicate that because Redford has starred in films with scenic backgrounds, his commitment to the environment is obvious: "From the arid wild west of 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,' to the lush Savannahs in 'Out of Africa,' the environment has long been a co-star in many of Robert Redford's films. The big screen clearly shows his personal commitment to the planet and with global warming making headlines, Redford's finding growing support for his green sentiment." Robert Redford: "I think a lot of people want to act. I think they want to feel they can have a role to play in their future." Champion: "Now, In his newest role, Robert Redford is behind the scenes and the environment is taking center stage. It's a new weekly primetime series, 'The Green,' highlighting individuals and solutions to the problems facing our planet." Redford: "To me, the great, exciting thing about it is that those new ideas will create new innovations and those innovations will lead to new industries, which will lead new jobs, which changes the economy. I think people want to know what, what can be done of a positive nature, particularly what they can do personally."

Champion closed the segment by noting some of the "extreme" solutions that will be offered in Mr. Redford's new show: "So, the show takes on topics and people. Now, among the innovators featured in 'The Green,' some of them are extreme, like the guy who runs his car on leftover fried chicken oil and a woman who makes clothes out of soda bottles. She actually does. Uh, I don't know. It's a look at what's new and it'll always be exciting and what's new in an eco-friendly world. And you can see 'The Green' on Tuesdays on the Sundance Channel."

In the past, Sam Champion has adopted a variety of tactics to promote liberal environmental initiatives. One strategy is to tout celebrities, such as when he highlighted the Oscars going green: www.mrc.org

On another occasion, he promoted "elite and sexy" stars who support liberal policies: newsbusters.org

The brief taped appearance of the President and First Lady on Tuesday's American Idol, to thank the viewers who contributed $70 million the week before to the show's "Idol Gives Back" fundraising effort on behalf of children's health charities, enraged the ladies Wednesday on the ABC daytime show The View and led them into some unusually bizarre -- even for them -- claims. Rosie O'Donnell ridiculed Bush's charity endeavor by comparing it with money spent on Iraq ("$500 billion in Iraq, but he wants to thank America for the $70 billion," really million) and linked the appearance to how "all of the pundits who are pro-Bush are on the Fox network." But Joy Behar made O'Donnell look well-informed, by comparison, as she insisted that President Bush "has access to all the money that we pay taxes for. He is able to do whatever he wants to do with that money." When Elisabeth Hasselbeck pointed out that Congress must approve spending and it is controlled by the opposition party, Behar remained undeterred by reality: "He could do it though, he could do it."

O'Donnell managed to criticize Bush for helping a charity effort during a war, as if without the war there would be no need for charity fundraising: "I was more disturbed that, you know, he's thanking the American public for giving up their money. We've asked the American public for money during every tragedy. But, you know, $500 billion in Iraq, but he wants to thank America for the $70 billion [really million] of their own pockets that they gave, but he doesn't mention the $500 billion that he spends in Iraq. I think it's very distorted." O'Donnell let loose with a personal attack on Bush -- "I would prefer that the President spend his time at the funeral of a dead soldier than on American Idol" -- before really going off the conspiratorial deep end by seeing a practical connection between the Los Angeles-based Fox broadcast network, which has no news content beyond one hour on Sunday, and the Manhattan-centered cable Fox News Channel: "It's on the Fox, it's on the Fox network, which is all of the pundits who are pro-Bush are on the Fox network, so I thought it was interesting as well."

The May 2 segment started comparatively normal with Joy Behar contending Bush "should be voted off" American Idol, prompting Barbara Walters to admonish her: "Do not expect to be invited to any state dinner." To which, Behar declared "I would not go to the White House" because "I'm not going to sit there with somebody who's doing what he's doing. I won't. I would not." Rosie O'Donnell agreed she would not accept an invitation to the White House -- as if one might arrive before 2009.

The MRC's Brad Wilmouth provided a transcript of most of the second segment on the May 2 edition of The View, picking up as the panel discussed the appearance of George and Laura Bush the night before on American Idol:

Barbara Walters: "What they were doing was they were thanking people who contributed to American Idol for both African and American charities, and they were obviously reading exactly from the [speaks very slowly] tele-promp-ter." Joy Behar: "I think he should be voted off. What do you think?" [audience applause] Walters to Joy Behar: "Do not expect to be invited to any state dinner." Behar: "You know what? I would not go to the White House." Walters: "Oh, it's the White House!" Behar: "I would not." Walters: "Well, that's wrong." Behar: "I have my principles." O'Donnell: "You wouldn't go?" Behar: "I wouldn't." O'Donnell: "Interesting." Hasselbeck: "You wouldn't go even to protest?" Behar: "Protest, yeah, outside, but I'm not going to sit there with somebody who's doing what he's doing. I won't. I would not." Hasselbeck: "You wouldn't sit there just to try to get a moment with him and tell him what you think, one on one?" Behar: "Oh, like he would spend a moment with me." Hasselbeck: "Maybe he would. Maybe he would. Sheryl Crow got to Cheney." [O'Donnell corrects her, noting it was Karl Rove] Behar: "She practically had to assault Karl Rove. She practically had to be on top of the guy." Walters: "I think, at some point, if you're invited to the White House and it is the President, I do think that your opinions are your opinions, but I think you'd go. But, you know, you probably-" O'Donnell: "I don't think I would go either. I hadn't thought of it until you said it, Joy, but I probably wouldn't either." Hasselbeck to O'Donnell: "Did you like him on Idol last night? Were you disturbed that he invaded Idol, for you?" O'Donnell: "A little bit. But I was more disturbed that, you know, he's thanking the American public for giving up their money. We've asked the American public for money during every tragedy. But, you know, $500 billion in Iraq, but he wants to thank America for the $70 billion [really million] of their own pockets that they gave, but he doesn't mention the $500 billion that he spends in Iraq. I think it's very distorted." Hasselbeck: "I think it was a great thing that the American people did, and to just-" O'Donnell: "I think we're asking a lot of the American people while we're wasting their money and not giving them enough to live on, you know." [audience applause] Hasselbeck: "These weren't forced donations to ask of people, I mean, $70 million, it's a lot of money for kids, and the fact that people gave, it's a gift."

...

O'Donnell: "But on another thing is I would prefer that the President spend his time at the funeral of a dead soldier than on American Idol." Behar: "But that would be a photo-op he doesn't want to go to." O'Donnell: "I know." [audience applause, Behar says something unintelligible to Hasselbeck] Hasselbeck: "I've said he should be there. I've said that he should be there." Behar: "He should put his money where his mouth is, and let's see him show up at one of those funerals." Hasselbeck: "I don't think it's bad for him to be on American Idol thanking the people for donating $70 million to this country and also to Africa." Walters: "I don't think it's a bad thing at all. I think it's a fine thing, but I think it's just interesting that of all the different outlets and with all the different ways of spending money, and with all the time constraints that a President and a First Lady had, that this is what they choose to go on." O'Donnell: "And consequently, it's on the Fox, it's on the Fox network, which is all of the pundits who are pro-Bush are on the Fox network, so I thought it was interesting as well." Hasselbeck: "Let me ask you this. Would a President, then, be not so wise then to choose an outlet that didn't reach as many people? I mean, this is in terms of just getting to American people and reaching the public, that was probably the smartest way to do it." Behar: "He has access to all the money that we pay taxes for. He is able to do whatever he wants to do with that money. Congress will be very happy-" Walters: "Not exactly." Behar: "Well, practically." Hasselbeck: "It has to be approved now, especially with the changes in Congress." Behar: "He could do it though, he could do it."

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